1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for reclaiming wet concrete. More particularly, the present apparatus includes a feed hopper with a screw conveyor, a mesh cylinder for separating the concrete into its components, washing means, and means for separating the individual components from the water.
2. Description of the Related Art
Methods of separating concrete into its individual components have been proposed in the art, wherein the separated components can be stored and re-mixed at a later date. However, as compared to the other prior art developments, the present invention has the advantages of providing controlled feeding of concrete into the separation apparatus, simultaneous washing and separation of the concrete, and improved means for removing water from the sand.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,458,387 issued to Charles L. Bourne describes a process for treating concrete aggregate. The aggregate is placed in a drum rotating at a high speed, so that the individual particles are thrown against the sides of the drum at a high speed. The less desirable softer particles will be broken up into small pieces, while the more desirable hard particles will remain intact. The large and small particles can then be separated.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,461,067 to Robert W. Moser describes an apparatus for treating sand and gravel. The sand and gravel are dumped onto a shaker screen from an elevated position, separating the larger gravel from the smaller sand. The sand passes through additional screens, separating the sand into different sized particles. The gravel is discharged into an agitator where it is washed. This patent does not disclose an apparatus capable of washing and separating the concrete at the same time.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,062,497 to Dennis E. Kemp Jr. describes a mill system having a proportioning feeder. A ball or rod mill sends particles to an air classifier, which sends oversized particles back to the mill along with the raw materials. The raw materials are fed into the space at the upper portion of the volumetric feeder above the oversized particles, so that the amount of raw materials sent to the mill is dependant on the amount of oversized particles already in the volumetric feeder.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,382,559 to Enar V. Hellberg discloses a defibrator comprising at least one rotary cylindrical drum having deflectors on its inner surface. The disclosed defibrator includes a rotor consisting of a shaft coaxial with the cylindrical drum and blades radially extending from the shaft, which are adapted to receive material, such as waste paper, and project it on to the inner wall of the drum.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,418,871 to Stuart A. Powell describes an apparatus for reducing mineral crystalline material. The minerals are first directed through a milling device wherein a turbine sets up a shock wave to break up the particles. The particles then go to a classifier having a series of vertical baffles, where they go through a series of vertical motion reverses, eventually falling into a hopper containing like-sized particles.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,538,767 to John J. Pimley discloses an apparatus for recovering paper-making fiber from waste paper products. The disclosed apparatus include a perforated rotatable drum with a plurality of vanes and a rotor having blades, which are positioned to intercept material falling from the upper region of the drum and fling it back against the drum.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,616,786 to Rudolf Riker describes a plant for processing surplus concrete. Concrete is deposited from trucks into a receiving bin having a screw conveyor along the bottom. The screw conveyor drives the concrete to a cylindrical washer. The screw conveyor's speed is decreased as electrical consumption of the washer increases, maintaining a relatively constant throughput for the washer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,632,320 to Emil Holz et al. discloses an apparatus for dissolving and sorting waste paper which comprises a spray pipe and a rotatable drum having a partially perforated wall, for mixing the waste paper and sorting out fibrous material.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,108,584 to Raymond Brosseuk describes an apparatus for extracting heavy metals from ore. The apparatus has two concentric drums oriented at an angle of 2.degree., to 15.degree. from horizontal. The outer drum has an inner spiral vane. The inner drum has an upper fragmentation section with inwardly directed, longitudinally oriented impact vanes, a center trommel section having fine perforations at its upper end and coarse perforations at its lower end, and a lower discharge section. A sluice box is positioned to receive discharges from the upper end of the outer drum. The sluce box has a plurality of offset landings, with the upper landings intended to collect the coarser particles. The ore is separated into large tailings which are discharged from the lower end of the inner drum, and heavy, fine particles which are discharged from the top of the inner drum into the top of the sluce box.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,234,172 to David E. Chupka describes a method of cutting paper using a high pressure water stream.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,312,051 issued to the present inventor, Mark A. Preisser, describes a fresh wet concrete reclaimer. The concrete reclaimer has a rotating cylindrical screen angled between 1.degree. and 10.degree. from horizontal, and a spray bar. The screen rotates rapidly enough so that the concrete is carried up to a point 90.degree. from the bottom. Sprayed water is directed towards the middle of the mass of concrete. The upper end of the screen is made from fine mesh which allows cement slurry to pass through it. The lower mesh is made from coarser mesh, allowing sand to pass through it. Gravel exits the opposite end of the screen.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,441,415 to Steinar Storruste and Mark A. Preisser (the present inventor) describes a centrifugal separator having a pair of mating horizontal frustroconical bowls and concentric inlet and outlet pipes, wherein the top bowl is held against the bottom bowl by a spring. A baffle fits inside the bowls. A slurry enters through the inlet pipe, and the spinning of the bowls causes the more dense particles to move towards the outside. Sufficient rotational force causes the bowls to separate, allowing the heaviest particles to exit. Liquid exits through the central outlet pipe.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,540,395 issued to Henry S. Branscome describes a concrete reclaimer comprising a rotating cylinder having a closed chamber and a screen chamber. Concrete is introduced to the closed chamber along with water to produce a slurry. The slurry is floated out of the closed chamber. The remaining sand and gravel is transferred to the screen chamber by four blades. The sand goes through the screen, and the gravel goes out the end of the reclaimer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,613,902, issued to Michael S. Didion et al. on Mar. 25, 1997, describes a sand reclaimer. The sand reclaimer has concentric inner and outer cylinders. The inner cylinder is perforated to allow sand to pass through to the outer cylinder. A helical vane on the inside of the inner cylinder pushes sand towards the outlet, and a second helical vane on the outside of the inner cylinder pushes sand towards the inlet. Large perforations at the end of the inner cylinder allow large particles of sand to pass through, and castings come out the outlet. At the inlet, a dust cover allows small particles of sand to exit the reclaimer for collection, while larger particles are directed back to the inner cylinder at the inlet for further tumbling. This patent does not disclose a means for simultaneously washing and separating concrete aggregate, or for removing water from the components after separation.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,624,077 to Henry S. Branscome describes a concrete reclaimer comprising a rotating cylinder having a closed chamber and a screen chamber. Concrete is introduced to the closed chamber along with water, producing a slurry. The slurry is floated out of the closed chamber. The remaining sand and gravel is transferred to the screen chamber by eight blades. The sand goes through the screen, and the gravel goes out the end of the reclaimer.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,685,978 to Harold W. Petrick et al. describes a concrete reclaimer having a tank with two sections, and a pivoting screen between the two sections. Small particles filter through the screen into the first section, and large particles are dumped into the second section by pivoting the screen.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,906,321 to Ronald T. Martin discloses an apparatus for cleaning non-ferrous metals which comprises an infeed chute, a rotating tumbler where water and the metals are combined to remove ash and dirt which is directed to a holding tank. The cleaned metals are engaged by an upwardly angled rotating drum that includes an internal helix. The metals are moved by the helix to an outlet and pass through a second spray of water for further cleaning of the metals.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singularly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus a axial flow, bi-rotor concrete reclaimer solving the aforementioned problems is desired.